ICE DAM REMOVAL – DETECTION AND PREVENTION!
Winter is here – Watch out for those ice dams. They are coming soon if you don’t protect your home and business. You can click on the photo for full illustration. Ice Dam Removal is of the utmost importance. Due to safety reasons, we see numerous occurrences every year and we want you to be safe. If you need professional assistant for Ice Dam Removal – Just Call us, we will be there to help rid the winter weather dangers at your home or business.
Ice Dam Warning Signs for Ice Dam Removal:
- You see icicles forming on the edge of your roof (with or without gutters)
- Ice begins to build on top of the gutter or lower edge of roof. An Ice dam as little as 1″ thick can create big problems.
- As a result, Ice begins coming through the soffit vents or through the soffit itself. This is bad news!
- You see icicles forming behind the gutter.
- Ice or water gets on the siding or exterior wall surface. This is bad news!
- Ice or water inside or around the window frame. This is really bad news!
Do you know what an ice dam is?
An Ice dam is a ridge if ice that forms at the edge of the roof and prevents melting snow(water) from draining off the roof. The water backs up behind the dam and can leak into your home and cause damage to your ceiling, walls, and insulation. Signs of ice dam damage are when you find water leaking from the creases of the ceiling. You may see a crack along the ceiling with moisture. Also, it can cause the paint will bubble, and your ceiling will be soft from the moisture. This can cause serious damages to your home. Be aware if you do not use the necessary tools to prevent an ice dam, mold and mildew will form if not treated immediately. While ice dams can cause serious issues with your structure, it also can cause serious respiratory and health issues.
What Causes Ice Dams?
There is a complex interaction among the amount of heat loss from a house with a snow-covered roof and outside temperatures. As a result, this leads to ice dam formation.
For ice dams to form there must be snow on the roof. At the same time, higher portions of the roof’s outside surface must be above 32°F while lower surfaces are below 32°F. For a portion of the roof to be below freezing, outside temperatures must also be below freezing.
When we say temperatures above or below freezing, we are refering to average temperature over sustained periods of time. The snow on a roof surface that is above 32°F will melt. As heat rises water flows down the roof and it reaches the portion of the roof that is below 32°F and freezes.
The dam grows as it is fed by the melting snow above it. Although it will limit itself to the portions of the roof that are on the average below 32°F. So the water above backs up behind the ice dam and remains a liquid. This water finds cracks and openings in the exterior roof covering. Consequently, this flows into any openings in the roof to the attic space. From the attic, it could flow into exterior walls or through the ceiling insulation and stain the ceiling finish.
Ice Damage Removal
There is an action you can take to prevent these ice dams from forming. Remove snow from the roof. This eliminates one of the ingredients of hazards. Furthermore, if you need any assistance, call the professionals at Rapid Recovery Service. We can provide your home or business ice dam removal services and any type of safety cleanup necessary. Finally, we will assist you in the efforts for no further damage.